Apothecary History

Traditionally an apothecary was someone who made and sold medical ingredients, gave general medical advice and performed a wide range of medical related services. They were the historical equivalent of the modern pharmacist, chemist, herbalist, minor surgeon, midwife and caregiver all rolled into one. The first known mention of an apothecary is in the Old Testament:"And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil." Exodus 30:25It is believed that the first apothecary shops opened in Baghdad around 754 and were very active in Islamic Spain by the 11th century. By 1180 apothecaries in London England were members of the Guild of Pepperers before joining the Grocer’s Company in 1345. The company as a whole were responsible for maintaining standards for the purity of spices and the setting of certain weights and measures. Geoffrey Chaucer talks about English based apothecaries in “The Nun’s Priest Tale”. “. . . since you shouldn't tarry,And in this town there's no apothecary,I will myself go find some herbs for you...”William Shakespeare also makes use of an apothecary in “Romeo and Juliet” in which a poor apothecary sells Romeo an elixir of death with which Romeo commits suicide. In 1617 apothecaries were finally granted a Royal Charter and they formed the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries. They became so powerful during the rest of the 17th century that they were able to challenge the monopoly of the College of Surgeons. The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries also founded Chelsea Physic Garden in 1673, one of the oldest botanical gardens in Europe. The 16,000 square metre garden became the richest collection of medicinal plants in all of Europe. The Apothecaries Act of 1815 granted the Society the power to license and regulate practitioners of medicine throughout England and Wales. Today, the Society grants diplomas in general areas such as Medical Jurisprudence, Medical History, Medical Philosophy, Forensic Medical Sciences including Forensic and Clinical Aspects of Sexual Assault, and in specialised fields such as HIV Medicine and Medical Care of Catastrophes.